There’s been a lot of strange names given to animals in the past, but a rare albino whale has been tagged with the name “Gallon of Milk.” For sure if milk came in bigger containers, this humongous whale would have a much bigger nickname, but since gallon is the largest size, then “Gallon of Milk” it is.
HNGN News reports on March 6 that this huge and very rare whale has been spotted before, but it hasn't been seen since 2009 when it was just a calf. You can imagine how ecstatic the conservation officials were while out doing their whale census and seeing the albino whale back.
The conservation census for gray whales was in process in the waters off of the El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve in Baja California north of Cabo and Gallon of Milk was spotted with a small calf in tow. Yes, this rare albino whale is a female.
Mexico’s National Commission o Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) was in the process of doing their annual gray whale count when Gallon of Milk and her offspring showed up. One thing that was immediately noticed was that the baby calf did not inherit its mother’s lack of pigment.
The rare albino whale is lacking pigment and the commission explains how "albinism is a genetic disorder caused by gene mutation, which produces a reduction or total absence of the melanin pigment. The condition has been found in different taxonomic groups including mammals, birds and reptiles, both in the wild and in captivity, but very few albino marine mammals have ever been found."
This year’s count was not only successful because Gallon of Milk is back, but because 2,211 whales were counted in the final tally. Out of this number, 1004 were calves and marine biologists say these babies were born in the waters off Mexico. This annual whale count has been going on for 20 years. When the Mexican authorities last saw the rare albino whale, it was just a calf and now it is back with its own calf.
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